It has been 25 years since Paul Bettany appeared nude in the film A Knight's Tale, but the actor says the scene remains the most memorable for many fans. Bettany, 55, starred as Geoffrey Chaucer in the 2001 adventure alongside Heath Ledger.

"I live in New York City, and I was in a film called A Knight's Tale, right at the beginning of my career, where I walked down the street naked, and so, I'll get cab drivers to this day winding down their window and going, 'You're the naked guy!'" Bettany told People at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on August 14. He added, "They have me at a disadvantage."

The film, directed by Brian Helgeland, also featured Shannyn Sossamon, Rufus Sewell, and Alan Tudyk.

Bettany admitted he has not rewatched A Knight's Tale since its premiere. "It was like another lifetime ago," he said in 2025, according to Entertainment Weekly. "And people do come up sometimes, people come up to me on the street and quote things at me, and I literally can't remember. I can't remember any of it."

He also reflected on Ledger, who died in 2008. "I saw [the film] when it first came out. I've never seen it again since. There are lots of reasons for that, and just one of them is that I miss Heath too much," Bettany stated.

Transition to Marvel Role

Bettany confessed that he believed his career was over before he was cast as Vision in the 2008 film Iron Man. He went on to portray the android in seven other Marvel films, as well as the Disney+ series WandaVision and the upcoming VisionQuest.

Shortly before securing the role of Vision, Bettany, who had previously appeared in A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code, was told by a Hollywood producer that he would "never work again." During a 2025 appearance on BBC Radio 2, Bettany recounted that the producer was upset because Bettany had turned down one of the producer's films, and the producer's son had just been born.

Bettany described the producer as an "apex predator" and told him to "mind his manners." The actor recalled walking away with trembling legs, fearing the producer might be correct about his career prospects.

His fears were allayed when Joss Whedon called. "[My phone] rang and it was [Avengers director] Joss Whedon and he said 'Do you want to play Vision?' And I said yes," Bettany shared. He later cursed at the building where the producer worked after receiving the call.

Vision was killed by Thanos in the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, but the character reappeared in different forms for WandaVision and VisionQuest.

Bettany is married to actress Jennifer Connelly, and they have three children.